18 replies to this topic

[FlyingSaucer]

I think my title for the post is quite descriptive this time .

 

Well, the history of the Delages 15-S-8 after their life as official factory cars has always been a topic of interest to me. Well, as everyone knows, these cars had very different lives after their original French owners, with drivers like Chiron, Howe and Seaman having at some time or another the steering wheel of the Delages in their hands. 

 

All of these pilots have had their racing histories with the Delages well documented - but this is not the case with the vehicles used by the Chakrabongse cousins (Chula and Bira), of their White Mouse Garage team.

 

So, my question is: does anyone knows in which races the Princes used the Delages? I know there must have been very few between 1937/38, since the few realible sources I know about the subject say that the cousins had several problems with the french cars, preferring to use the backup ERAs and Maseratis they had at their disposal.

Edited by FlyingSaucer, 15 February 2025 - 00:55.

[Tim Murray]

Bira and Chula weren’t brothers. Although Bira was younger than Chula, he and Chula’s father were first cousins, so he and Chula were first cousins once removed.

[Vitesse2]

AFAIK the Delage was only entered for three 1937 races.

 

1 The Campbell Trophy at Brooklands on May 1st. Car was not ready, so Bira raced the Maserati 8CM.

2 RAC International Light Car Race at Douglas, June 3rd. Bira drove it in practice, but considered it too slow, so used 'Romulus' instead.

3 Grand Prix de Picardie at Peronne, June 27th. DNF in the first heat.

[Steve L]

There is a great book on these cars called "Delage - Champion Du Monde".

[Vitesse2]

Missed one!

 

Bira also drove the Delage in the 1500cc scratch support race at Phoenix Park in Dublin on September 11th. DNF.

 

Reports of the Douglas race say the Delage was about six seconds per lap slower than 'Romulus'.

 

By October The Autocar was reporting that the car was for sale - Chula would in due course replace it with 'Hanuman'.

[D-Type]

Was Bira's Delage the ex-Seaman car?

[Vitesse2]

Was Bira's Delage the ex-Seaman car?

Essentially, yes. But he also bought enough parts and a spare chassis to build another one - which Reg Parnell eventually did when they all ended up on his pig farm.

[Tim Murray]

The Chula team bought two existing cars, including the ex-Seaman car, and also commissioned two new chassis, as detailed in a post by Jean-Maurice Gigleux in this very old thread on the Delages:

Car N.1 #21642/1 team car and certainly the proto. De Rovin-circa 1936 Bancroft-Lee-Cunningham-Collier. The only car nearly "d'origine".
Car N.2 #18489 team car for Divo. Campbell (1928)-Scott (1928) -Davis (1932)-Chula (1937)-Parnell-Woodall-Rowley-Cannon-Burnard.
Car N.3 #21641 team car for Benoist. Campbell (1928)-Howe (1931) destroyed Monza 1932
Car N.4 #18488 team car. Chiron (Indy 1929)-Sénéchal (1930)-Howe (end of 1931)-Seaman (end of 1935)-Chula (1937)-Parnell (1945)-Hampshire-Walker (1950)-Pozzoli.
Car N.5 #WMG-101.Chula made with IF designed by Lory. Raced by "Bira"-Parnell-Woodall-Rowley-Beebee-Woolley-Bradley-Bamford-Classic-Young-Berg-Milloë
Car N.6 #WMG-102?. Idem N.5. Chula-Parnell-Habershon-Walker- Burnard-Goodhew-Kerr-Poter-Lindsay-Mayman.

[ReWind]

Bira and Chula weren’t brothers. Although Bira was younger than Chula, he and Chula’s father were first cousins, so he and Chula were first cousins once removed.

Shouldn't the thread title be altered accordingly?

[FlyingSaucer]

Bira and Chula weren’t brothers. Although Bira was younger than Chula, he and Chula’s father were first cousins, so he and Chula were first cousins once removed.

 

Shouldn't the thread title be altered accordingly?

 

You guys are completely right. 

 

I ended up writing the post quickly (I was on a lunch break at work), so I didn't even notice my mistake till today - huge one, btw. 

 

Sry for that...

 

I believe only admins can change the thread title - feel free to do so!

[Doug Nye]

Sauce - just don't worry about it.  Some of us are acclimatised to making detail screw-ups....  

 

CND

[Tim Murray]

I believe only admins can change the thread title - feel free to do so!

Done - let me know if you’d prefer something different.

[chasflanagan]

I believe that this is the main car under discussion- WMG101

[Steve L]

Amazing how they changed a beautiful car into something so ugly!

[D-Type]

AFAIK the Delage was only entered for three 1937 races.

 

1 The Campbell Trophy at Brooklands on May 1st. Car was not ready, so Bira raced the Maserati 8CM.

2 RAC International Light Car Race at Douglas, June 3rd. Bira drove it in practice, but considered it too slow, so used 'Romulus' instead.

3 Grand Prix de Picardie at Peronne, June 27th. DNF in the first heat.

 

 

Missed one!

 

Bira also drove the Delage in the 1500cc scratch support race at Phoenix Park in Dublin on September 11th. DNF.

 

Reports of the Douglas race say the Delage was about six seconds per lap slower than 'Romulus'.

 

By October The Autocar was reporting that the car was for sale - Chula would in due course replace it with 'Hanuman'.

 

 

The Chula team bought two existing cars, including the ex-Seaman car, and also commissioned two new chassis, as detailed in a post by Jean-Maurice Gigleux in this very old thread on the Delages:
 

 

That seems very few races for the number of Delages the White Mouse Stable owned.

[FlyingSaucer]

Done - let me know if you’d prefer something different.

 

It's perfect!

 

I took the opportunity to fix my original message as well. No more mistakes on all sides now 

[FlyingSaucer]

I believe that this is the main car under discussion- WMG101

 

Tbh, that looks like a hybrid between a Delage and a Maserati V8RI. Quite weird actually!

[chasflanagan]

Another…..

 

Edited by chasflanagan, 15 February 2025 - 22:03.

[chasflanagan]

Another one - unfortunately missing the nose